Left: Rebecca Karger of Morristown learned that she got a lot more than food when she pledged to spend $20 a week at the local farmers market. / Courtesy of Rebecca Karger

Written by

Rebecca Karger

Do you $upport farmers and local food? I thought I did, but really I just supported them. And there is a significant difference between those two things.

I read the books — thank you, Pollan and Kingsolver — and prosthelytized to family and friends about all I now knew about the problems with processed foods and monocultures and animals raised in confinement.

But every week I would say, “Aw darn, we didn’t go to the farmers market…AGAIN.”

We have an A&P at the end of our street. Costco gives out samples and helps you feel ready for apocalyptic events. And of course, there’s the frequent cop out, “Let’s just order pizza.”

Change was definitely in order. From now on, our family would commit to spending $20 every week at our local farmer’s market. Promises that are too big can be like drunken proposals, but this was simple and practical. We spend way more than $20 on food already in a week, and a lot of the time, it’s not great food.

In the next few weeks we stuck to our commitment and found that it delivered on way more than just the $20 of food. We ran into friends from town. We began to recognize and then actually know the producers of our food. We got fresh air and we felt that we were really a part of our community. Overall, shopping became an experience based on a conscious choice, and that felt good.

Oh! I forgot to mention — I’m an advertising copywriter. This means that my primary skill is the use of words to change behaviors. So I gave our commitment a name, and decided to share it.

The “Good for 20” campaign aims to inspire people to dedicate a portion of their food spending to a direct source for local, fresh food. We hope to help people make this commitment to themselves, and discover the health, social, and mental benefits that can come out of making a regular habit of purchasing food directly from its producer.

Joining is easy. Participating is fun. Here’s what you can do:

• Recite the Oath of Nourishment: I [state your name] do hereby promise, as long as I need food to survive, to allocate at least $20 of my weekly grocery spending to a direct-to-customer source, such as a farm stand, farmer’s market, or CSA.

You may also choose to visit www.goodfor20.com where there are weekly challenges and the ongoing invitation to post your “bounty,” a picture of what you were able to purchase for $20 at the farmer’s market. Goodfor20 is also on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m not doing this for dollars; I’m doing it for change. To quote Malcolm Gladwell from his ubiquitous book “The Tipping Point:” “If you want to bring a fundamental change in people's belief and behavior ... you need to create a community around them, where those new beliefs can be practiced and expressed and nurtured.”

Rebecca Karger lives in Morristown and started Goodfor20.com. She will be at the Morris County Sunday Supper asking residents to take the Good for 20 pledge.